Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-04-13
WINTER HOTELS BURNED.
ST. augustine at One Time in Danger OF
bestructlon-NO New England People
In the Hotels and no Accident.

ST AUGUSTINE, April l2.
81. Augustine hotel took fire at 23O this
morning, and is DESTROYED The old slave
market is also gone and the ancient csthedrs;
Is IN flames. The Edward hotel and half 3
dozen small baiidings are also on fire. and il
seems inevitable that the Florida house snd
opera house must go. The danger of de.
s,rucuon OF the whole town from P.azs tc
city gate Is imminent. All of the seventy SIX
guests OF the st. Augustine got out in safety.
also the servants, and all the guests and ser.
wants OF the Edward house.
The fire has been stopped at Treasury
street and the main portion of the town is
safe The county court house and Vedder'.
museum are destroyed All the county re-
cords were removed TO place of safety, bu,
MANY valuable papers in the hands OF the law
yers who had offices in the county buildings
are destroyed The telegraph wires 10 ali
points are at present down, but the early re-.
establishment Of communication is snticipa-
ted. There were no New England people in
the st. Augustine hotel, nor was there the
slightest accident TO any one of its seventy.
SIX guests, though it is reported that col.
ored scrub woman lost her life bv running in
to the servants quarters for effects.
But little property here is insured, as the
town Is mainly of wood. compactly built, and
provided with but one third class steam fire
engine. The average rare of insurance seems
to tv b3 per cent, which has operated as \
prohioItory tariff The loss on the ST. Au-
gustine hotel is estimated to be fully olOO.-
900. 1000 Of when is apportioned to the
building, and the remainder to the furniture
and fittings. The insurance on this proper
ty expired within the twenty-f -four hours prior
to the outbreak OF the FIRE
JACKSONVILLE, Fla, April II.
Times Union St. Augustine special gives
full account of the fire there this forenoon
which destroyed $3.50, 900 worth of proper.
ty.
An alarm was given at Is A. NJ. for a
blaze in the laundry Of the St. Augustine ho-
tel on the north side of the plaza. The
flames spread rapidly to the kitchen and then
to the main part of the building.
The fire department consisting of only a
hook and ladder truck and one Mansfield
steam engine, was soon on the scene, but was
unable to do anything to save the hotel. &C
guests and forty servants. with the exception
Of one laundry woman named Bridget Barry,
escaped. By this time the flames had crepl
through the entire building and communics-
ted to the Edwards house and the cottage on
the north, both frame buildings. These were
SOOu IcuuCtu W hsutS anu tle uAIues tUeH
swept on northward to the Planters house
and then to the Florida house annex. Here
the fremen and citizens, by heroic efforts
succeeded in preventing the flames from
reaching the main building of the Florida
house. The next buildings to 60 were the
First National bank and one of the oldest
landmarks in this cient city, the old Span
ish cathedral, just west of the ST. Augustine
hOuse The roof caupht FIRE and soon fell
destroying all the old historic relics in the
interior The old chimes fell too, their last
work being an alarm which summoned the
citizens to the scene of the conhagaration.
At this time the east wall of the ST. Angus
tine House facing Charlotte street fell, car
rying the flames to Lincoln block on the OPP
posite side, in which were the stores of Con
zales & Benhayon, Hob Yongs restaurant,
Vedder's museum. Bucks restaurant Davis
barber shop, Golding & Co.'S cigar factory,
and Sprigger's drug store. all were com.
pletely destroyed. Next, Chamberlain
grocery and Mrs. B. r. Carr's residence
north of Sinclair block were destroyed. Re-
turning to the west side the flames reached
the old county court house, which was total
ly destroyed. The records, however, were
removed and saved. At 7.30 the fire was
under control. Bridget Barry was the only
person whose life was lost. She escaped
early but returned to save her clothing and
was not seen afterward.